Off Field
by paul is dead
Summary: All you need to respect someone is a little Stockholm Syndrome, and unwanted help as Draco learns with Hermione. Warning: HBP Spoilers, don't read if you haven't read it!


**Part One**

Members of the Order of the Pheonix believed Draco Malfoy was lurking around the Muggle London area.

Which is why Hermione, Ron, and Harry were outside of a trendy nightclub in Muggle London. Harry was sitting on the pavement with his head in his hands and Hermione and Ron were standing behind him, arguing _again._

"I told you this wouldn't work." Hermione said, "Muggle night clubs, especially ones like this are very hard to get into without a V.I.P. pass or at least an I.D."

Harry rolled his eyes. This was the third time Hermione had begun a fight during the evening, yesterday, Ron accused Hermione of everything from stealing his pen to being a whore. He was really tired of them having it out, and he was beginning to turn more inwards. Which led to all sorts of interesting thoughts about Ron's sister that he certainly wasn't regretting breaking up with. He knew during Dumbledore's funeral that his relationship with her was impossible. He supposed he didn't regret keeping the people he cared about safe. But for the past week of wandering around every pub in London desperately trying to find Malfoy, he found himself day-dreaming about Ginny. This was mainly because every time he attempted engaging Ron or Hermione in conversation he would hear about how his "other best friend" was "just so ignorant of the Muggle world" or he would hear how his "other best friend" was "just so uptight."

"Your other best friend," seemed Ron and Hermione's favorite way of referring to the other when they were fighting. Harry was unsure which one of them coined that particular gem.

He always envisioned the two of them happily growing old together. After a week of constant squabbling, he figured he'd be lucky if he ever got the two into the same room again.

Harry heard a loud crack of thunder above his head. He turned and looked at Ron and Hermione, who had apparently decided that they could fight while sitting on steps instead of standing, to conserve energy or... something.

"You guys want to head back to the hotel?"

Ron said, "Yes," in a cross voice Harry assumed was for Hermione's benefit. Hermione nodded, looking more tired than Harry had ever remembered, even more tired than she looked after all those late nights she spent studying for tests in subjects that she already knew backwards and forwards.

He felt guilty as he looked at her and when he caught her eyes, he heard a familiar voice inside his head saying, "Harry, we wouldn't have come with you if we didn't want to. This isn't just about you. Voldemort is threatening everything all wizards and witches hold near and dear."

He knew she was right. However, it was hard sometimes because Ron and Hermione would fight the way he remembered Ginny and Ron did several summers ago.

They walked silently. Occasionally Harry would comment on the weather with, "Lousy night for rain."

Ron would nod to himself and look thoughtful while Hermione would occasionally reply.

Then they would fall back into walking silently. Harry remembered that on one of his dates with Cho he had walked silently with her and thought how grand it was to just be with her and not have to say anything to her.

Unfortunately he didn't feel the same way about his friends. He wished one of them would apologize and the other would forgive and forget.

Once they reached their hotel, the Blinking Wand, Harry said good night to Hermione, who had a room on the first floor and walked up to the third floor with Ron.

Once he was safely out of Hermione's ear shot and in his and Harry's room, Ron began to bash Hermione.

"Bloody woman thinks she knows everything."

"Shut up Ron."

Ron shut up.

"Can't you two ever act like friends? You did last year! She's just worried, hell, we're all worried. But fighting isn't going to help! Can't you apologize to her or call a truce long enough so that you can both forget this mess?"

Harry breathed in. What he had said came out in a rush. Ron looked a little surprised. Harry had been quiet these past few months and Ron wasn't used to seeing Harry yell. Well, really it was more of a "rasied voice" than a "yell."

Meanwhile, on the second floor, Draco Malfoy sat at his vanity staring at his reflection in the illuminated mirror upon it, wondering what to do.

He looked down at the letter a pure white owl had just dropped onto his bed.

"_Dear Draco Malfoy," _It read. He wondered how the writer had found him.

"_My brother and his friends are looking for you."_ Draco wondered who **wasn't **looking for him.

"_I would like to meet with you at the coffeehouse on the corner of Prince Albert Road at noon. I think I can help you and the woman you're trying to protect, as was briefly discussed with you by a dying man you probably remember."_ Draco looked to the end of the letter quickly. He wondered how this person knew what Dumbledore had said to him that night. He wondered if his mother was still safe.

At the end of the letter, "_Yours Sincerely, Ginerva Weasley."_

Draco skimmed through the rest of the contents in the letter and went to check that his mother was still safe in her room for the third time in the past hour.

Carefully locking the door behind him, he walked across the empty to hall to room 202.

He knocked.

"Mother are you in there?"

He waited.

He knocked again.

"Mother...?"

He began to knock again when the door swung open.

Before he could ask Nacrissa said,

"I'm okay! Let your mother get her beauty sleep, sweetie! I'll see you in the morning!" She kissed his cheek and shut the door in his face

Draco half smiled, half frowned as he re-entered his own room. He figured his mother wouldn't want to be bothered by silly notes that weren't quite silly from the female- Weasley.

He wondered if he should make time tomorrow to stop by the coffeehouse.

He thought about how much he had been worrying about his mother lately.

He yawned.

This meant that his body was telling his mind to sleep on it. Never being one to ignore himself, Draco decided to get ready for bed.

Directly below Nacrissa Malfoy's delicate, suave, snoring body, lay an awake Hermione Granger. One that was staring at the ceiling.

She couldn't sleep. Something was off and she wasn't sure what it was. Her, Ron and Harry had been tracking Draco for almost two weeks now. It didn't make sense that they couldn't find him. It just didn't. How hard could it be to find an albino rodent? She knew London was a big city, but seriously. They weren't the only ones looking for him. Several teams of people were also searching for Draco Malfoy.

She leaned against her pillows and sighed. It wasn't fair. She was trying so hard in this war and she felt like she was wasting her time looking for Malfoy.

She also had a nagging suspicion that he was right under her nose the whole time.

Above her, Nacrissa Malfoy continued to snore.


End file.
